I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 253, "The Young Students' Graduation Performance"!
They messed with my brother.

I wouldn't go even if the offer was better.

A very simple reason.

The impetuousness of teenagers is often incomprehensible, or even laughable, to adults.

But the world ultimately belongs to the young.
At this moment, Li Xuan looked at the two teenagers in front of him and said, "After you graduate, have you thought about what you'll do?"

"At worst, I can try to get into a drama school. It's a secure job, not bad at all." Zhu Yawen smiled and said, "It's not like there's no way out at all."

The Beijing Film Academy is, after all, a top-tier performing arts school. To say that someone is truly lost and clueless about their future would be an oversimplification.
It just doesn't look that shiny and presentable.

"Um.,.."

After a moment of silence, Li Xuan asked, "Where are the other students?"

“Some classmates found their own connections, some accepted contracts with companies in Beijing, or the school made arrangements for them. In short, everyone is using their own methods,” Luo Jin said from the side. “Life always finds a way out.”

"That's pretty philosophical, damn."

"Can't you just leave my artistic mood alone?"

Zhu Yawen and Luo Jin exchanged glances and joked, creating a sense of finding humor in hardship.

Li Xuan felt
"Hey you two, if I said I could take you to make a movie, would you come with me?"

"Boss, you want to take us to make a movie? Of course!"

“Well, I’ll take you guys to film the movie.” Li Xuan smiled and said, “We’ll film our own graduation movie.”

Zhu Yawen and Luo Jin were stunned for a moment.

It was only then that I realized what was happening.

Li Xuan came to bring
Wait a moment.

It wasn't you who introduced us to the film crew.

Or was it you who took the two of us to film the movie?
At this moment, in the office of Wang Fengsheng, the president of Beijing Film Academy.

There's only one year left until retirement.

After training the next level, I'll retire.

"Do you think I made a mistake back then? The graduation plays for those kids are still up in the air, all because of me." Wang Fengsheng sighed softly, "Should I have respected the rules of the market?"

"Well, you were doing a good deed, which doesn't mean you were wrong. You were doing it for the children."

Xu Xiang, the president of the Central Academy of Drama, was standing right next to him.

He's been coming here often for tea lately.

Both of them are old-timers from the previous generation, yet they hold the same positions, so they have even more to say to each other.

"Well, the scale and speed of development of capital in the Beijing circle now are beyond imagination. The 'free market' has really allowed them to thrive. When they achieve growth, regardless of whether my students study law or not, if they want to survive here, they have to follow them. This is probably what is called the 'rule'. Sigh, I don't know if I have harmed these students."

"Well, your intentions are good, and the direction may not be bad, but it's a bit extreme. Everything is balanced. Students need to rely on the means of production controlled by capital, whether it's right or wrong. Right now, the means of production are indeed in the hands of those companies. If you want to make movies, you have to follow their path. You can't really fight against the laws of nature. Besides, capital hasn't completely lost control yet. China Film Group is still the boss."

As a state-owned enterprise, China Film Group Corporation (CFGC) still maintains its original aspirations and original intentions, possesses the most resources and authority, and continues to shoulder the responsibilities of a state-owned enterprise. It remains in a stage of "dominance". However, due to its status as a state-owned enterprise, it cannot sign star actors and can only act as a production and distribution company, which is a "limitation".

"Well, maybe I was wrong. Not everyone is as cunning as Li Xuan, who isn't afraid of capital blockades. He's just an exception."

Wang Fengsheng then said softly, "Unless he really wants to start his own business, as you say."

"I'd say eighty percent. He'll definitely make it this far. I'm not wrong about people," Xu Xiang said with a slight smile.

Just as the two were chatting.

Li Xuan arrived at the office.

I saw Wang Fengsheng and Xu Xiang.

"Principal Wang, Principal Xu."

"You're back?" Wang Fengsheng smiled at Li Xuan and asked, "How did the filming of 'Plot Against' go this time?"

"It feels okay."

"You went to film 'The Plot'? I was the one who recommended Chen Shu for the lead role."

Li Xuan never expected that the seemingly 'ordinary' project for the drama "Plot Against" would actually involve quite a few people, or at least those who knew about it.

It's not counterintuitive; they've all experienced that era. They already know what the frontal battlefield is like.

A battle in the dark must certainly be something they're curious about.

The novel features elements of the War of Resistance against Japan and espionage, representing a completely new genre, and is written by Mai Jia, considered the "number one writer of spy novels."

The audience for martial arts films is mostly young people and teenagers.

The audience for war-themed spy dramas is middle-aged and elderly people.

Historical themes are suitable for all ages.

"Oh, the director is Liu Guanglong. This is the first film he directed after becoming an actor. He's quite ambitious." At this moment, Wang Fengsheng thought of the actor: "He was also the top scorer in the Beijing Film Academy back then, especially in terms of appearance. He got a perfect score when he was admitted."

"It's a pity that his acting skills are probably more suited to being an 'actor' than a 'star.'" Xu Xiang even felt a little regretful, thinking how great it would have been if Liu Guanglong, such a promising talent, had come to the Central Academy of Drama.

He has both acting skills and good looks; he's definitely a leading man material.

At this moment, Wang Fengsheng, who was standing next to him, chuckled.

"He has now transitioned into directing and producing."

"uh-huh."

I heard that if it weren't for Li Xuan, Liu Guanglong would have chosen to direct and act in the whole thing himself.

The biggest advantage of directing and acting is unparalleled control, while the downside is that when you lack energy, you can't manage both, and you end up pleasing neither side.

Liu Guanglong weighed the pros and cons before giving up the lead role to his junior, Li Xuan.

A more 'lower' option.

"You didn't come here to talk about the 'scheming' thing, did you?"

“Of course not, Principal Wang.” At this moment, Li Xuan glanced at Wang Fengsheng and said, “I’ve come up with a script that I want to film myself.”

"Take it yourself?"

Wang Fengsheng looked at Li Xuan in surprise: "Have you been influenced by Liu Guanglong?"

"No, it wasn't. It was my own choice. Do you remember, Principal? When I was performing 'Buried Alive,' I already had plans for an original script."

Indeed, he still remembers the performance of "Buried Alive" for that midterm assignment.

I never imagined he had such grand ambitions.
When Wang Fengsheng saw the script "The Young Students" handed to him by Li Xuan, he was even more shocked.

"You wrote this script?"

Looking at the script, Wang Fengsheng could hardly hide his shock; this script was simply amazing.

Li Xuan nodded.

This script.

I want our class to perform in our graduation play for the 2002 graduating class of Beijing Film Academy!
Crazy.

Both Wang Fengsheng and Xu Xiang had this thought: this Li Xuan, his audacity, his madness, were indeed quite real.
An original script, intended as the class's graduation play.

The graduation play is very important; in a sense, it's the first work most students do after leaving campus.
For most people, the idea of ​​accumulating experience before unleashing their full potential is nonsense. Therefore, the debut performance greatly influences a person's future.

At this point, Li Xuan was essentially gambling with his classmates' futures.

That's crazy.

But then again, Li Xuan said something else entirely.

A graduation performance by an all-student class.

The purity has also been greatly improved.
It's a genuine graduation project, not just something copied from a certain production team or a famous person.

honestly.

Wang Fengsheng was already a radical, but seeing Li Xuan's actions, he felt he was too conservative. This was true madness, so he would make him fall for it.

Such a graduation performance is truly of the highest quality.

What kind of help do you want from me?

"The review process, the basic filming crew, and the name of the Beijing Film Academy."

“Indeed, this needs to be reviewed.” Wang Fengsheng paused for a moment before adding, “But if it’s under the name of Beijing Film Academy as the distributor…”

It's incredibly appealing.
If this work really becomes a success.

Then Wang Fengsheng's own resume would definitely be elevated to a higher level.
At this point, Li Xuan did not pursue the matter further.

The specific pros and cons are something Principal Wang needs to consider himself.

This kind of subject matter definitely needs to be filmed by taking advantage of the resources of the Beijing Film Academy.

This includes arranging and assisting with filming locations in various aspects.

"I don't think this is a reliable thing. They are too young. It's a bit of a pipe dream for them to put together a complete plan."

At this moment, Xu Xiang was also shocked by the young man's ambition. He was sure he hadn't misjudged Li Xuan, but he didn't expect that this young man would be so quick to direct and act in his own drama.

Thinking about it carefully, although it's crazy, it makes sense. When I accumulate enough fame, it means that my value is getting higher and higher, and the price in the eyes of capital is also getting higher and higher.

If that's the case, why don't I make use of my own value?

I'll keep all the remaining value myself.

There's nothing wrong with that.

But this is tantamount to a provocation against the capital of the circle.

Moreover, when one's abilities cannot control their desires, it is easy to suffer a backlash.

Xu Xiang felt that this was the time.

Li Xuan's desires began to backfire.

The idea of ​​putting on a graduation play myself. "What if it works out?"

At this moment, Wang Fengsheng said with burning eyes, "What if they succeed this time? What if our team from Beijing Film Academy really manages to complete this work independently? Wouldn't that be an unprecedented feat? Wouldn't the students of the Class of 2002 be worthy of being placed on the wall of honor?"

"Why are you acting like you've gone mad too?"

"Didn't you guess that Li Xuan would do something like this? He rejected capital time and time again, not to wait for a higher price to sell, but to do it himself. So it's understandable that he did this."

Li Xuan has great ambitions.

This time, he showed even greater ambition.

If you can't control this ambition, it will all be for nothing.

But Wang Fengsheng realized he was nearing retirement.

Moreover, before retiring, he met a student whose personality and other aspects matched his aesthetic. His achievements may not be the highest, because he truly rejected the favor of capital. Just this rejection alone requires absolute courage and conviction.

Or rather, absolute self-confidence.

Absolute confidence in one's own purity.

"He is a man with great ambitions."

At that moment, he felt an impulse.

An impulse to take a gamble with Li Xuan
"Would you believe me if I said the biggest reason is that good scripts are rare?"

"We'll believe whatever you say, boss."

That statement isn't entirely untrue.

One's own abilities and influence require good scripts and good works, but these things are not available every year. Moreover, one's path within the Beijing entertainment circle is restricted. In any case, the capital says those people are the giants of China's entertainment industry, and there is no doubt about that.

Let's not talk about Zhang Guoshi. Even if he has fallen from grace and become a beneficiary of the system, that's a matter for later. Right now, this old Deng is quite capable of fighting.

The Beijing elite circle is now incredibly powerful.

The later formation of a closed, monopolistic circle directly caused the Chinese entertainment industry to stagnate for ten years, which was a disaster in the later stages.

Of course, it's certainly unethical to occupy a position without contributing. The revitalization of the Chinese entertainment industry is inextricably linked to these individuals. They were incredibly talented in their youth, producing excellent works year after year. However, their decline is also partly due to them, because even after their talent was exhausted, they continued to occupy the position, preventing future generations from succeeding them. They always cite issues like a poor economy or low audience education levels. But the box office success of *Ne Zha* slapped these claims in the face, silencing the investment community.
Since "Ne Zha", Chinese films have gradually improved.

Experience has shown that revitalizing a community doesn't require any complicated schemes; simply allowing the strong and weak to naturally regenerate is enough. Normal metabolism is sufficient to bring the community back to life. The market is there, and it will naturally pay for good players.
Therefore, the conclusion is that making good films and playing good roles is the way to survive in this industry.

As a producer and director, making a film is like trying to break into their prime and grab a piece of the pie.
Counterintuitively, now that they've passed their peak, their control over resources within the industry is even stronger. Ironically, their arrogance and overconfidence might actually allow them to slip through the cracks, making the gaps even wider.
never mind.

Anyway, no matter how you analyze it, the decision has already been made. Even based on the simplest reasoning and justification, I still have to do it.

Good works, good roles, good income, good awards, and good system rewards.

If there aren't any good scripts or good roles available, then just create them yourself. It's that simple.
This graduation performance provided the perfect opportunity to showcase my talent in "The Young Students".

Luo Jin and Zhu Yawen didn't care; their simple sense of loyalty made them feel that being able to act with their buddies was something to be happy about.
The next day.

In the classroom, Wang Jinsong's expression was quite complicated.

"Dear students, you will be entering your senior year next year. It's time to think about your future path and how to proceed. You should all have ideas for your graduation show by now."

In fact, most people experience a sense of confusion.

Liu Yifei was not included.
Those with resources and those without are easily identifiable. Some are fearless and emboldened, while others are lost and confused. The watershed moment in one's life in the entertainment industry begins here.

In the first and second years of college, everyone can still joke around and say that they are classmates and have normal conversations. But in the second semester of the third year and in the fourth year, the watershed comes, and everyone is exposed to works of different levels.

Wang Jinsong even heard that Liu Yifei has connected with Sony, and her future is limitless. She is clearly aiming to become an international star, and is targeting Zhang Ziyi as her benchmark.

"Now, for your graduation play, you have another option: our good class monitor, Li Xuan, is putting together a play for you. If you're interested, you can come and sign up with me."

It stirred up a huge wave!

As soon as the news got out, it caused a stir. Fortunately, Luo Jin and Zhu Yawen were alright, as they already knew about it.

Teacher Wang's statement indicates that the Beijing Film Academy's support is in place, and they agree to produce this work entirely by the Beijing Film Academy team.

Li Xuan wasn't surprised—even though there was an element of gambling involved.

However, it seems that although Principal Wang is old, he has a strong gambling instinct.

At this moment, Jiang Yan was the first to exit!
"I promise!"

"I also!"

"I'm going with the boss!"

Wang Jinsong didn't expect so many responses.
This 'idol' has a really strong appeal.

Indeed, Li Xuan is the 'idol' of these mature teenagers.

Along the way, from "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" to this year's "The Myth", Li Xuan has basically come a long way step by step. His classmates have watched him grow from the beginning to the present. And it can be confirmed that Li Xuan has no background, unlike Liu Yifei who has resources of her own. Li Xuan has really gotten to where he is today based on his 'purity'.

The allure of this purity is immeasurable. It creates a sense of belonging, a feeling that "he has no background, and so do I, so we are all the same."

I could do it too.

But the truth is, you can't do it.

Regardless of the facts, Li Xuan did indeed become the idol of these students, the object of their worship and admiration.
So much so that now, most of them have responded without hesitation to the graduation play, including Jiang Yan, Luo Jin, and Zhu Yawen.

People used to say that the Class of '96 had the strongest sense of belonging and cohesion, and it was hyped up every year. But in Wang Jinsong's opinion, that sense of belonging is nothing compared to the Class of '2002 in the Performing Arts Department.

They've staked their future on this.

Frankly speaking, Wang Jinsong felt that putting all his eggs in one basket was too risky, as it could easily lead to a fatal mistake.

What's the difference between this and all-in betting?

Even if you like Li Xuan a lot, and have a lot of confidence in Li Xuan himself...
No matter how much we admire him, it really requires a lot of thought and consideration to have him plan the graduation play for the entire class.

In particular, most of these people come from middle-class or even more ordinary families.
They don't have a second chance; every stage is crucial for them.

This time is crucial for them.

Opportunity is of paramount importance to them
There's no way to gamble on this; it's not allowed.

No matter how much I like Li Xuan, this is not something to joke about.

However, the students' choices and the trust they placed in the students were indeed unexpected.

They trusted Li Xuan and believed he wouldn't ruin their graduation performance.

At this moment, Xu Xiaodan arrived at the principal's office.

The director strongly opposed this.

She has been very supportive of Li Xuan all along, and you think this guy is really quite extraordinary.

But directing is another art form.

It is an art form completely different from being an actor.

"Blindly worshipping idols will lead them into an abyss. Li Xuan hasn't participated in directing or screenwriting courses in recent years; he's a performance major..."

"If you're good at acting, you can become a director. I believe Li Xuan's ability to understand scripts is also quite good as a director. Besides, he has shown me the script, and you have also seen it. So just trust his talent."

"Has he reached the point where he can transition from acting to directing? I don't think so!"

At this moment, Xu Xiaodan's lips twitched.

Actors who excel can become directors.

That would require Li Xuan to have reached the point where he transitioned from acting to directing.

Li Xuan was only a very young man.

How did I come to the point where acting leads to directing?

At least Xu Xiaodan felt that this was taking too big a step.

“Principal, do you know what people outside are saying about the crazy thing we did this time? They all say that you want to pull off one last big success before you retire. If you lose, you'll be forgotten, but if you win, your resume will be glorious. Although I don't think you're that kind of person, Principal, you should still care about public opinion.”

Wang Jinsong then spoke earnestly.

He didn't think the principal would do such a thing.

This time it's just too unbelievable.

That was too impulsive and irrational.

Chen Bing, who was standing nearby, was also trying to persuade them.

This is going to be difficult.

Wang Fengsheng was somewhat surprised by the strong opposition from the three professors.

Okay, you really care about this because it's such a big deal.
It certainly sounds like a farce.

At this point, Wang Fengsheng did not give a direct answer.

"Do you know what I was thinking when I met Li Xuan and heard him make this request to me?"

What is it?
The three professors were puzzled.

“I see the future. I see a young man, a young man who will control everything in the future. You have made the biggest mistake. It’s not because you deny Li Xuan, but because you deny the students in your class.”

These words were like a bolt from the blue, hitting the nail on the head and leaving the three speechless.

You are not denying Li Xuan, but their choices, denying their actions, denying the choices of young people who are about to graduate and make their mark.

They are not children anymore.

They are eagles about to spread their wings!
At this moment, Wang Fengsheng said calmly
“They are not fledglings. As you said, half of the class agreed to participate in the project, which means we can put together a film crew named after the 2002 class of the Beiping Film Academy.”

"Our responsibility in teaching and nurturing students is to help them become talented individuals. If you don't even respect the decisions they make, how can you believe they can become talented individuals?"

"Those young men have all made their choices, so why shouldn't I, an old man, join them in their passionate pursuit?"

The decision was made immediately.

We were young students then.

(End of this chapter)